In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves of the United States. However, was it him who gave them freedom? We looked into this question over the course of a few classes. To be specific, the essential questions were: Who 'gave' freedom to enslaved Americans? Did freedom come from above or below? To what extent were Abraham Lincoln's actions influenced by the actions of enslaved Americans? To answer these questions, we examined documents and primary sources regarding where freedom came from, as well as Lincoln's decisions. We also watched a segment of a video discussion the end of slavery in the US. Freedom from Above means it was those who were societal higher (ie. the government) who got the slaves their freedom, and freedom from below means it was the slaves who gained their own freedom.
First, we looked at this image. It shows a romanticized version of the freeing of the slaves. While they slaves were definitely on Lincoln's side, it is unlikely that they worshiped him like this. This picture depicts freedom from above, because it shows Lincoln freeing the slaves.
We then examined some of Lincoln's documents. Lincoln's official position on slavery seemed to be neutral. In an open letter to Horace Greeley, Lincoln discussed the reasons for the civil war. He dismisses the notion the war is about slavery, and reassures the reader that it is to save the union, saying "If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that". Evidence of Lincoln's personal belief is also in this letter. Lincoln writes "I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free."
We then viewed a portion of Ken Burns' Civil War to learn about the influence of fugitive slaves. We learned that as fugitive slaves became more and more of a problem, the government could no longer turn a blind eye to the issue. Furthermore, we learned that Lincoln did fight for abolition early in the war because the North seemed to be in a neutral position regarding equality. We also looked at two documents titled “Documents X and Y”. Both of them give information on a town overrun with fugitive slaves, representing freedom from below.
One obvious example of freedom from above is the emancipation proclamation, in which the government gave the slaves their freedom. The document states: “all persons held as slaves within any state or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free”. This shows that it was the government who freed the slaves, rather than the slaves freeing themselves. This is freedom from above.
This image is an example of freedom from below. 
These fugitive slaves have made themselves known, pushing the issue towards the US Government. Perhaps without the new visibility of this issue, the government would not have freed the slaves, meaning the freedom really came from below.
Though historians view freedom as coming from above and below, I take a more traditional stance and believe it comes nearly solely from above. It was the government who chose whether or not the slaves would be free, and though slaves may have influenced their decision, it was still the decision of the government, not the slaves.
Recently in the news, there has been much talk of the Baltimore riots. Although the oppressed people are not enslaved, they are still attempting to get freedom from below. While I certainly do not condone the action of rioting, it cannot be denied that people in Baltimore want more freedom and Justice, and are taking matters into their own hands.
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